1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for sterilizing medical, dental and veterinary appliances, materials and other objects at high temperature and pressure with steam which is produced from a microwave energy source.
Steam sterilizers or autoclaves are well known as applied in the medical field for sterilizing objects such as instruments, tools, and the like. One major problem with current sterilizers is that they require an inordinately large amount of time and energy, and it is to this disadvantage of prior art devices that the present invention serves to overcome. This is accomplished by a unique microwave energy source design coupled to the sterilization chamber resulting in a fast, efficient sterilizing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High temperature and pressure steam sterilizers have been well known for many years and are conventionally used in medical and dental establishments for sterilizing the instruments and tools used in medicine and dentistry. Conventionally, the steam results from a supply of reactant liquid such as water that is heated to its boiling point by conventional heating devices such as direct heating elements or infrared sources. Attempts have been made to provide microwave sources for various types of sterilizers. An example of a microwave energy source as sterilizer is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,651 of Boucher. The latter shows in general a household oven type of microwave source for providing energy that irradiates the instruments to kill the bacteria and other micro-organisms. An obvious disadvantage of Boucher is that if the instruments are metallic, as they often are, partial discharge at sharp points will be detrimental and destructive to the instruments.
Another example of a microwave sterilizer is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,357 of Hohmann. This patent contemplates in one embodiment, an IR source for heating the reactant liquid to vaporize it for sterilization of medical instruments. Another embodiment suggests that a microwave source and cavity resonator might be employed in place of an IR source. The patent, however, fails to disclose an efficient coupling between the microwave source and the reactant liquid whereby the latter may be quickly and efficiently vaporized. Without this efficient coupling, the microwave sterilizer of Hohmann would be subject to the time consuming period for vaporization that is found in sterilizers currently in use employing other types of heating elements or result in damage to or destruction of the microwave source.